Riches and the Kingdom

Dormition icon, Christ holds the soul (portrayed as an infant child) of his Most Holy Mother, the Apostles, hierarchs and angels are gathered around her. Her earthly death is her day of birth in the heavenly realm. 


Sermon from Sunday September 4, 2022Matt 19: 16 – 26 Riches and the Kingdom
By Fr Nicholas Karipoff
 
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
The rich young man came out to the Lord Jesus Christ and asked Him, what good thing must I do to have eternal life? And interestingly, the Lord responds to him rather differently. He says if you want to enter life – not eternal life – keep the commandments. Subsequent conversation shows that the young man was seriously self-deluded. He thought that he was close to perfection. In His answer to this young man, Christ goes into maximalist mode and tells him that if wants to be perfect, then he should sell everything, give it to the poor and follow Him. Christ wanted to show the man that he was deceiving himself. His first question to Christ was basically, what is the minimum that I need to do to have eternal life? Clearly, he wanted to enjoy his wealth and all the good things of this life as well as ensuring that he did not miss out on the life after life. He wanted a win-win situation! This is why Christ replies to his first question by saying what he needs to do to enter into life. Eternal life does not happen if we do not enter into life now. Eternal life must begin now, resurrection is now. It is a different quality of life to the way that the world sees it. But the young man wanted to enjoy the worldly life without making any sacrifices, without wanting to change himself or adjust to the way of life that Christ wants.
 
Worldly life is about self-love, self-interest. Eternal life is about the love of God and to love your neighbour as yourself. That means if my neighbour hurts, I hurt. I feel the pain of my neighbour. That is the commandment, that is what Christ says. Real life is about being a conductor of love from God, to connect with God and to connect with your fellow human being.
 
We cannot allow ourselves to be deluded like that young man. We do not love God yet. We cannot seriously say we love God. We do not. We often do not even have fear of God which is the beginning of spiritual growth; as Proverbs say, The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. How do we begin? Let us occasionally take time out from our fun and enjoyment of the good life to notice Christ Who is like that man from the parable, Lazarus. Christ, like the beggar, knocks on the door of our heart. Are we going to notice it, or are we just going to keep having a good time?
 
One example of how we can stop deceiving ourselves is something that has opened up very recently in covid. We can deceive ourselves by thinking I can stay at home and watch live-streaming, I don’t have to come to church. That is deceiving yourself. It is the mode of thinking of today’s rich young man. But Christ’s words should wake us up.
 

Dormition of the Mother of God, Sunday August 28, 2022A short homily by Fr Mark Woloszyn
 
The feast of Transfiguration is celebrated in the middle of Dormition lent, and the two events are linked. In Transfiguration we see Christ, as both God and man, shine brighter than the sun on top of Mount Tabor. This is a glimpse of the Resurrection and Grace of God. And this same Jesus who shone brighter than the sun on Mt. Tabor, dwelt in the womb of the Theotokos and transformed her life completely. So too, this same Jesus who shone brighter than the sun on Mt Tabor, knocks on the door of our hearts and seeks to dwell in us. He offers himself to us in Holy Communion, to change our lives completely. So now, we turn to celebrate the life and Dormition of the Mother of God, and we ask for her strong prayers, help and protection so that He who shone brighter than the sun on Mt Tabor and dwelt in Her womb, would come and dwell in us, and change our lives completely.
 
 

 Patronal Feast of Holy Protection (Pokrov) CathedralHoly Protection of the Mother of God, Friday October 14, 2022
 
After two years of our Patronal Feast falling during covid lockdowns, we are finally able to celebrate again as a parish. The Feast of Pokrov falls this year on a Friday, and the Liturgy will be followed by a parish lunch in the hall.
 
The following Sunday, October 16, will be an afternoon in appreciation of all the donors who have contributed to the building and decorating of our magnificent Cathedral. The rector Fr Nicholas Karipoff will give a short tour and talk of the interior iconography which was finished in July 2021 by NSW iconographer and artist, Antonina Ganin This was thanks to a massive fundraising push in 2018, that saw us raise the goal of $100,000 in just six weeks! After the Cathedral tour, we will be having refreshments in the hall, with a short performance of Russian music and dance.
 
Make a note of these dates; more details to come shortly.
 Parish AGM October 2, 12:30pm, in the hall.Now is a good time to become a member or renew your membership. As a member you will be able to vote in the elections or be nominated for a role in the Parish Council.
 
You can renew your membership online at https://www.pokrov.com.au/donate.html or at the candle kiosk on Sundays. If you’re not sure whether your membership is up for renewal or not, contact pokrovsecretary@icloud.com.
To apply for membership, fill out a form at the candle kiosk, or email the secretary at pokrovsecretary@icloud.com

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